A Night in Blue, a gala Saturday at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Atlanta, will serve as a signature event to spotlight and support the exceptional work of the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department.

This year Sandy Springs-based United Parcel Service will be recognized for its contributions and leadership in support of public safety.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is the 2013 honorary chairman. Janin and Tad Hutcheson are serving as overall event co-chairs, and Lt. Col. Matthew B. Smith and Laura Balser are in charge of the auction.

The black-tie evening of dinner, dancing and music by Yacht Rock Revue will culminate with silent and live auctions. All auction proceeds will benefit Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta, a program of the Atlanta Police Foundation that provides an avenue for residents to safely and anonymously report information about criminal activity. Monetary rewards for information leads to arrest and indictment.

Non-auction revenue will support general programs of the nonprofit foundation that works to secure and leverage private resources to fund priority projects designed to enhance the city’s ability to fight and prevent crime. The foundation partners with the business community and residents in an effort to make Atlanta the safest and most inviting city for all residents, workers and visitors.

Jonathan Shapero, jeweler extraordinaire and “King of Bling,” will be the featured speaker May 22 at the Atlanta History Center’s Members Guild spring meeting.

Jeweler to the stars and to local luminaries, Shapero will tantalize and amuse guests with his tales of precious gems and of his work with women such as Jackie Onassis and Audrey Hepburn.

Shapero is marking his 13th anniversary in Atlanta, where his by-appointment Jonathan Buckhead headquarters has launched him into all facets of the fine jewelry world — estate jewelry, bridal and custom design. His clients range from discerning private clients and jewelry collectors to politicians and rock stars. He has accessorized celebrities and film stars for red-carpet appearances and fashion photo shoots to become a notable presence in the jewelry world.

The reception-style presentation in the Members Room of McElreath Hall on the center’s main campus on West Paces Ferry Road is open to non-members and friends to introduce the activities and participation of the volunteer guild, an auxiliary group supporting the nonprofit center complex.

A Tony Evening, a fundraiser for the nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre, will celebrate its fifth anniversary this year. The event, set for Saturday at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown, will support Atlanta’s venerable performing arts educational programming for youth and families and recognize people who are instrumental in enriching educational initiatives.

Honorees this year are Georgia Power Co. President and CEO Paul Bowers and Sesame Workshop for their continuing support of the arts in early childhood education.

Bowers is an exemplary civil servant assisting the Atlanta community as chairman of both the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and vice chairman of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Through the youth-oriented Sesame Street theatrical program and other initiatives, Sesame Workshop reaches children in more than 150 countries with critical lessons in literacy and numeracy, emotional well-being, health and wellness and respect and understanding for others.

Film, television and stage actress Jane Krakowski will be the highlight entertainer for the evening. She is perhaps best known for her role as Jenna Maroney on NBC’s hit comedy “30 Rock,” for which she has earned three Emmy nominations and has also received a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

Stephanie Blank, founding chairwoman of the governing board of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students and a mentor for the Emerging Leaders for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, is the 2013 event chairwoman.

“My goal for A Tony Evening is to provide donors a deeper understanding of what the Alliance Theatre provides to the community, and how arts in education at early stages of childhood lead to higher achievement and a lifetime of support and love of the arts,” she said.

Founded in 1968, the Alliance has become the lead producing theatre in the Southeast, creating the powerful experience of shared theatre for diverse people on two stages.

Each year, the Alliance Theatre Acting Program and Education Department reaches nearly 50,000 students through performances, acting classes, drama camps and in-school initiatives. The Alliance creates and produces plays for young audiences at every age level from high school to the Theatre for the Very Young — infants and toddlers.

The Lucky Ones Birthday Celebration Saturday at the Thalia Carlos Hellenic Community Center in DeKalb County will mark the 11th anniversary for Furkids’ rescue programs moving abandoned cats and small dogs into good homes.

Animal sympathizers are invited to celebrate and support the growing success of the nonprofit with a buffet dinner and open bar as they dance away the evening to music by The League of Decency.

Darren Margolias is chairing the benefit and advisory board member Anne Stockton will be recognized as the 2013 birthday honoree for her more than 30 years as an active volunteer in the animal rescue community. All funds go to the ongoing Furkids good deeds.

It seems like yesterday when big-hearted Samantha Shelton found a homeless mother cat and three kittens in her back yard and reached out to create Furkids, a shelter for cats that would provide a comfortable cage-free haven for homeless and abandoned animals until they were adopted into lifelong homes. At its inception, the organization started rescuing small dogs on a limited basis but was able to expand that practice after acquiring Small Dog Rescue in 2011.

Today the nonprofit Furkids is the largest cage-free, no-kill animal shelter in the Southeast. Each year volunteers rescue, shelter, sterilize, rehabilitate and place more than 1,000 animals in permanent, loving homes.

Members have initiated a unique joint venture with 13 PetSmart and Petco retailers in the Atlanta area to man adoption centers at several outlets and match animals from Furkids’ and Small Dog Rescue’s shelters to adoptive families.

The Atlanta Opera will showcase its chorus and celebrate a successful conclusion to the 2012-13 main-stage season with the annual La Belle Soiree benefit May 23 at the home of Suzanne Mott Dansby in Buckhead’s west Peachtree Battle neighborhood.

During the social evening, guests will be serenaded by members of the opera’s chorus and treated to fine Southern cuisine prepared by chef Joe Truex of Buckhead’s Watershed on Peachtree restaurant, complimented with wines and beverages from National Distributing Co.

Founded in 1979, the Atlanta Opera is one of the most respected regional opera companies in the nation. The nonprofit professional company produces three live performances of highest quality from October through May at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre near Vinings. It attracts exceptional international and regional singers, conductors, stage directors and designers as they engage the community in musical excellence and inspire young singers with the High School Opera Institute program.

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